Adventures of the Scholar and the Iron Dragon
by valeda
Summary: Joining the Magic Council brought a lot of new adventures to her life - but Levy is finding herself stuck in a rut. While she learns new things every day, research doesn't have the same excitement as when she was in Fairy Tail. When she's appointed to research a strange mystery in the city, an old acquaintance drops by to lend her a hand.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters

* * *

 _He looked up to see the preparations for the festival._

 _There would have been a time when he would have been as excited as everyone else. Travelers and artists from all over the world would bring goods and treasures to show and sell, and the citizens would celebrate good harvests and new fortunes. Hundreds of years ago it had started as a small affairs, bring in more and more well wishers to make it one of the largest festivals in the country._

 _Areon was established as the new location for the Magic Council. The large, old buildings, and the geographic location made Areon and good hub for travel. Stone buildings and hills made the town itself an impregnable fortress. If the town was ever attacked, it would be impossible for an invading force to make it into the city._

 _Almost impossible._

 _He turned down the alleyway, listening to the laughter of the children behind him. His heart squeezed at the thought - his own son, would he have lived, would have been the same age. He could almost picture his son playing in the town square with his friends, his mother nearby shopping._

 _It was difficult, but they would all be necessary sacrifices for what he needed to do. There was no way around it. There was nothing that would distract him from his plans now, he would do whatever he had to do to._

 _Stepping towards the end of the alley, he raised a hand and drew the script on the wall. It was an ancient script, no one would know what it was, they would just assume that it was some sort of child's prank. The indigo cast a soft glow before it sank into the mortar of the building. It was a small amount of progress but it was still progress. The Magic Council would pay for everything that they did, and everyone would know the same pain that he had watching everything that he held dear be taken away._

 _They would all pay. He would destroy them all._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters

* * *

Levy scowled at the book in front of her, leaning back in the chair at her desk.

Normally she would be fine with research all day and keeping her head buried in a book. There were a lot of information inquiries and backlog to tackle. It would still be months before she could hire an assistant - so she was stuck with having to do all the work on her own. Jet and Droy were off training with the Magic Enforcers, and it would be a while before the old Shadow Gear team was back.

When she joined the Research Division, she knew that the soul purpose was to look into mysteries and discover strange phenomenon. She had thought that she would have the chance to expand her abilities and have a little more...well, excitement.

Levy pull the next ticket off her stack and made a face at it. People wanted all manner of tedious things: how to say various words in multiple languages, the correct methods for seals and spells, something about an old recipe for a pumpkin tart...

She did not join the Magic Council to research recipes on pumpkin tarts.

Ruffling over the research tickets, and found one that caught her eye.

This was different.

 _Research Task 5206: Multiple reports of strange purple fireflies appearing all over the city embedded with an unknown magic._

"Purple fireflies? That's weird."

"Talking to yourself, Levy?"

She looked over towards the door to see Mest Gryder. It had been a long time since she had seen some of the other members of Fairy Tail, but many of them had joined up with the Magic Council. Between their alliance with Princess Hisui and other higher ranking members, it hadn't been much trouble to find employment. When Fairy Tail dissolved, Levy hadn't even left the guild hall before getting a job offer.

It had taken a while to accept, she had been heartbroken over losing the guild. It had been under the encouragement of Jet and Droy to take the job, and she would be lying if there wasn't one person in particular that was the deciding factor in her decision.

"It's strange - living being of any kind getting embedded with magic. All creatures have some kind of nature energy, but this is unique. No one can figure out what kind of energy it is."

"Maybe it's some type of new magic."

"That would definitely be interesting. Better than the stuff I've been seeing lately."

Mest chuckled, "Researched any good recipes lately?"

Levy scowled, "What am I, some freaking party planner? The Magic Council holds so many events, I feel like all I do is look up food and ways to say 'Welcome to Fiore' in multiple languages."

"We're getting more people for the festival. I'm not surprised that the council is holding more events."

"Well, maybe they should have hired more people first," she pointed at the stack of papers beside her desk, "I've got at least another sixty hours of work on top of my regular duties. I'll never have time to go down the training hall at this rate."

"The training hall?"

"I've been doing some research into the art of the solid script," Levy sighed, "I've been trying to train up and learn different way to advance my magic. But I can't do it moldering away in the research lab."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Levy. You have a vital role here. I know it doesn't feel like it but your knowledge in priceless to the Magic Council."

She stared down at the research ticket in her hand and had a weird feeling about it. It was probably someone playing a prank or someone experimenting in the city with different types of magic, but that didn't feel right.

There was a bell chime in the distance.

"Hm?" Mest looked towards the window, "Is that coming from the port? It looks like the advanced Enforcement troops might be back."

There was a rustle of papers and he heard the door shut.

He chuckled to himself.

 _Some things never change._

* * *

Levy jogged out of the front gates and towards the port.

 _They were coming back today!_ She was so excited she couldn't help it. It had been over two months since the Magic Enforcement squad left for training. Jet and Droy had left last week with the trainees, but the advanced squad had been gone for much longer.

He was coming back.

In the time that she had come to work at Magic Council, there were a couple of other Fairy Tail members that we working in all parts of the government. She knew that Gray and Erza were up to something serious, she hadn't talked to them in some time.

She was working in the research division.

And the new head of the Magic Custody Enforcement unit...

Levy push through the crowd that gathered. It was always a big affair with the ship came back - it was a huge, decorated ship, and the most advanced in the fleet. The crowds were already big because of the travelers, and it gave her a rush to see everyone greeting their friends and family as they came home. She greeted the people around her, congratulating the returning troops on their hard work.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous. These were the top fighters in the Magic Council's forces, and they trained regularly to keep their abilities at top shape. Long ago she had resigned herself to the fact that there was only so much that she could do, but still - she wanted to get better.

When she joined the council, Levy had secretly started training on her own. The library was full of books on magic that she never imagined. There were spells and skills that she knew she could master, and she spent a good portion of most nights training in the hall. Levy knew there was only so much that she could do, and now she wasn't sure of the next steps to take.

"Hey, shorty."

Levy instantly perked up, turning around to see the one person she had be looking for.

Gajeel strolled his way down the plank like he owned everything. He was more scruffy than normal, probably due to living in the woods for months. She would have rather died than admit that she thought it was attractive.

His clothes were ripped and torn, his hair so windblown that it looks like he had a big black cape around his shoulders, and his face was even scruffy. He was more suited for being an invading pirate than someone who was the same as a police officer. He chuckled as he walked over to her, "Did you come to greet me, or what?"

"Or what!" Levy pointed a finger at him, "You know how long you've been gone?! You said you were going to be gone for two weeks, you jerk. How is two weeks the same as two months?"

Gajeel chuckled, "Sorry, I got kindda wrapped up in stuff."

"Wrapped up in fighting bears in the woods with Lily, you mean."

His hand patted the top of her head, "Aw. If I didn't know better, shorty, I would start to think that you missed me."

"Give him a break, Levy," Lily tugged on her cloak, "Gajeel can't help it that he's a moron."

"Hey!"

Levy laughed, "It's good to see you back, Lily."

"You greet him like a normal person and give me a bunch of shit? What the hell, man."

His voice was angry, but his eyes were laughing.

Levy remembered him when Phantom Lord first destroyed the Fairy Tail guild. Back then, he was always angry and cold. He lashed out at everyone, and even on a good day after he joined Fairy Tail - his social skills were questionable at best. After Tartaros, Levy had seen him mature more in the last six months than she had in the whole time she known him. He had found his element in the Enforcement division, doing the two things that he had always been in the best at - fighting people and training to get stronger.

But, there was something different about him now.

It wasn't unusual that they would take lunch together, or that Gajeel and Lily would hang out in her office on their down time. Sometimes they wouldn't even say anything to each other, Gajeel would nap on her sofa while Lily would sharpen his sword or tell her about spells and enchantments from Edolas.

There was also the little secret of that she was in love with him.

He would laugh if he knew. Levy knew it was stupid, but she couldn't help it. At one point, she had been sitting in her office and just...realized it.

 _Oh man, I am so dumb sometimes._

Those little moments when it was just the three of them together, it was like they were a family.

"I'm starving, let's go get some grub."

"You just ate," Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I need some real food. You comin', Levy?"

Levy looked up to see them both staring at her. Gajeel at the same, crooked smile that said that she should be expecting nothing from attitude from him. His eyes were laughing and dancing.

"Yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters

* * *

Levy slipped the magic glasses on top of her head as she dragged the sliding ladder to the end of the bookshelf. Tucking her quill behind her ear, she peaked at the reference number written on the paper in her hand and made her way up the ladder. She had finally found some old reference materials for embedding living creatures with new magical properties. It wasn't a practice that she agreed with, since it was mostly used for experimenting on live subjects.

 _I just don't understand_ , Levy thought to herself as she pulled the first volume off the shelf, _I feel like if someone was actively experimenting with magic, we would know by now._

She had put out a notice for people to keep an eye out for new reports of purple fireflies. If it was possible to catch one, maybe she would be able to see what type of magic was being used. Levy flipped through the book, slipping her glasses over her eyes, "It says here that it isn't possible to use insects as tests subjects for magic. They just don't have enough of a mass to maintain the magical energy-"

"Hey, shrimp, what 'cha doin way up there?"

Levy glanced down to see Gajeel staring up at her. The book slipped from her hand and she yelped as he caught it, "Sorry, Gajeel!"

He glanced at the book and she climbed down the ladder, " _Testing the Exponential Properties of Magical Energies and Enhancements_. Shit, what you readin' this for?"

"Heavy stuff, huh?" she chuckled, "I'm looking into a weird case."

"Yeah?"

"People have been finding these fireflies around town that glow purple. The magic is really strange, so I'm looking into it, but I haven't been able to find anything. Maybe these old texts can point me in the right direction."

Gajeel watched her sit back at the desk, "You need any help?"

"You want to spend the day going through the rest of my task tickets or catching purple fireflies?"

"Hell no."

Levy laughed and turned back to her desk, she pulled a few new sheets of paper out and began to write furiously, "What brings you here to visit me?"

"Lily is trainin' some of the recruits that just came in today. I got a pending assignment that I'm waitin' on."

"Ah."

Gajeel flopped onto the sofa in the office, spying another book on the coffee table, he scooped it up, "So, do you have any ideas about this case you got?"

"Well..." she trailed off, making a few notes as she flipped pages in the book. She spotted some information that applied to a different task - noting it down, she folded the information into a square and slipped it into an envelope to give the assigner. "I think there might be a magic source somewhere in town that the fireflies are coming in contact with. A different type of magical energy."

"What kind of magic?"

"I won't be sure until I capture one of the fireflies," Levy looked over at the couch, "Hey!"

Gajeel blinked at her as she snitched the book from him that he had been flipping through, "Geeze, shrimp, what bee got in your bonnet?"

She dumped the book on her desk. The book was on martial arts. Levy felt her face heat up, "I've been looking into getting some additional training."

"For what?"

"My solid script technique," she sighed, "There's a secondary part to it, but I'm going to need to be a more coordinated and nimble than I am now. I've been trying to study up and I've been going to the fitness center-"

"You goin' to that dump? You'll never get in shape there."

Levy slammed the pen back on the desk, "Well, what do _you_ purpose I do, then? It's not like I'm some super magical beast fighter like the rest of your squad, Gajeel."

He sat up on the couch, leaning forward with his arms hitched on his knees, "Hey."

She didn't look at him, finishing another ticket, she scribbled furiously on the letter.

"Levy, look at me."

She didn't want to see whatever expression was on his face. If she looked over here and saw that smirky, arrogant look of his she would just hate him. Sealing the envelope shut, she yelled as the paper nicked her finger, "Damn it!" she snapped, looking at her hand, "Freaking paper cut."

A large hand reached over and gripped her wrist. Gajeel leaned over and scowled, "Come on."

"What-"

"Stop complaining."

He dragged her over to the washroom in the corner of her office. Since she was the only one in that wing of the building she had her own kitchen and washroom for when she worked late. If she had a staff they would have all shared it, but it was just her for the time being. She squeaked as Gajeel lifted her up to set her on the counter. He turned the water on.

"Gajeel-"

"Quiet." She bit her lip as he shoved her hand underneath the water, "Now hold it there."

 _What the heck was he upset about?_

She was silent as he dried her hand off and expertly wrapped a bandage around her hand. Levy look at him, "What's wrong with you? Why are you mad at me?"

Shoving stuff back in the cabinet, he leaned over her, his hands on both sides of her legs on the counter. Levy had no choice but to press her back against the wall as he looked down at her.

He was so much larger than she was, sometimes Levy found it intimidating. There weren't many people that she allowed to get this far into her personal space, but Gajeel always got right up in her grill and didn't give a damn. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fact that her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

He smelled like soap and the woods. There was always a hint of metal and leather, but it was mostly his clean scent that she smelled. She wished she could curl into it and stay there.

"I've known you long enough to know what something is legit bothering you, Levy," Gajeel growled at her, "Why you think I would judge you for it, I'm not really sure."

She hunched away from him, "I don't like being weak, okay? It makes me really self conscious around you."

"Why?"

"Because you are so... _not_ ," she said, her fingers twisting, "Because I'm really jealous of you sometimes and the strength that you have."

He stared at her for a moment. Levy gasped as he reached up and snatched her chin, tilting her head back. She tried to keep her voice steady, "Gajeel-"

"Eleven tomorrow night. Enforcer training hall."

"Wh-What?"

"Wear something easy to move around in, and you'd better be on time or your cute ass won't save you from me kicking it."

Levy's mouth dropped open. Gajeel stepped away from her and stomped out of the room and she flinched as he slammed the door to her office.

As much as Gajeel put up a touch-guy front, Levy suspected that what she said hurt his feelings. The last thing she wanted him to think was that she didn't trust him - she just felt ashamed that she couldn't keep up with him. If sometimes happened, she wasn't strong enough to protect him. He always had the strength to defend the things that he cared about.

She didn't have the strength to defend anything.

 _Way to go, Lev. You sure messed up this time._

* * *

He sat at the bar and took a sip of ale as he scribbled in a notebook.

"Hey, that's some interesting language you're writing there," the bartender stepped by to refill his mug, "You from outta town?"

The voices and laughter of the other people in the bar filled his ears - he knew that it was the bartender's job to make small talk and try to make everyone feel welcome. He didn't hold anything against the other man for interrupting his work.

"Yes."

"We're gettin' a lot of folks in for the festival - hear and see a lot of things, but I've never seen that kind of writing before."

"It's an ancient language. Most people don't know it - I learned it on my travels."

"You one of those guild wizards?"

"Archeologist."

The bartender nodded, "Well, good luck on your travels, mate."

He watched the man walk off to tend to the other patrons before turning back to his notebook.

The language was a long dead text - there were only a handful of people in the world that had ever researched it and he was one of those few. He had made it his life's work to research the city of Zoras and the culture of the people that once resided there.

It was fascinating - studying a people that worshipped life as well as destruction. There was the belief that death and destruction were the catalyst for life and new beginnings. People were imperfect, and the idea was that perfection was attained by removing imperfections. Those who survived the culling would rise from the ashes as new entities, free of sins and with the strength of gods.

All beings, no matter the creature, experienced life and death. There was no escaping it.

Looking around the bar, he frowned.

All people were like a plague on the world. They were so full of themselves and their own desires, they didn't care about others or how their actions effected their surroundings. People would kill and rip into the land without any sort of concern on what it was doing. He scribbled a couple of extra notes with the curved script from the long-dead Zoran culture. It was a beautiful language and had been difficult to master.

There was still a lot of work left to be done. The scripts were completed on the east and south regions of the city, but the west was only half done and he hadn't touched the north yet.

It was two weeks until the festival. More than enough time for him to complete his task.

"Hey, mate," the bartender walked past, "You want a refill?"

He smiled and sat back in his chair, "One more and than I'd better cut myself off. In my old age, I'm finding that I can't hold my liquor like I used to."

The bartender chuckled and refilled his ale once more.

* * *

Levy slammed the locker shut. She hadn't spoken to Gajeel in almost two days. Scratch that - he hadn't come by her office in almost two days. Lily had visited, but Gajeel had stayed away. Now it was almost eleven, and she was trying to work up the courage to walk out of the women's locker room into the Enforcer's training hall.

The whole wing of the building was specifically for magical and physical training. It wasn't unusual that she would be there to work out and stay in shape, but she stuck to the regular fitness hall. Only the most advanced officers went to Gajeel's neck of the woods - she was wondering what it would be like. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and tugged on the bottom of her t-shirt.

She wore shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers. Since she wasn't sure what Gajeel had planned for her, she didn't know what to expect. Levy made her way out of the locker room, taking a left down the hall.

It was a massive auditorium - there were areas for physical training and warded areas to practice magic safely. She had thought that Gajeel would set up shop over in the warded section, but she spied him sitting in the middle of the mats on the other side of the massive hall. She held her head up high and made her way towards him.

"Gajeel?"

"Good. You're on time."

"Say, Gajeel, I-I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

His head tilted to the side for a moment but said nothing. Levy bit her lip, "I really appreciate that you offered to help me and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to imply that I didn't trust you."

Gajeel sighed and stood up, "It's not a big deal, short stack."

"It _is_ a big deal," Levy looked at him straight in the eye, "Because I _do_ trust you, Gajeel."

He stared back at her for a moment and there was something unspoken that passed between them.

When she had spoken to Juvia previously - the woman had told her that Gajeel still felt uneasy about Levy and what had happened when they first met. He had many friends and allies now, but Gajeel considered Juvia like a sister. Since they both had been in Phantom Lord, Levy was glad that Gajeel had someone he could talk to about his past, but she didn't like the idea that he still felt guilty.

Gajeel smirked at her and the moment was gone, "You might not be saying that when I'm done with you."

She scowled, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm going to whip you into shape and I'm not going to go easy. You ready?"

She stared back at him, his eyes were dancing.

He was over it. Just like that.

Levy smiled, "Bring it on."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters

* * *

Three days later, Levy wasn't sure the whole 'Gajeel helping her train' thing had been a good idea.

He had grilled her every night - jogging, sparring, meditation - every single thing he put his own trainees do, he was made her do it too. The first two nights were hell, but a part of her was enjoying it. Breaking a sweat and working hard in that gym with Gajeel made her feel like she was really challenging herself and accomplishing something.

It was starting to get easier. Levy knew that she wasn't as out of shape as she thought, and after a month or so, who knew how much she would advance. She had always trained on her own, and even though it wasn't a fraction of a pace that Gajeel probably went at, he seemed to know how much to push her without going to far. Although, getting barked at to pick it up or to fix whatever thing she did wrong was not always fun.

She was so sore she could barely sit at her desk. Assignments were coming in faster than ever, and she was stuck hobbling around the office like she was an old woman.  
Ther was a knock at the door, "Levy?"

"Mest," she turned around in her chair, "What can I help you with?"

"I come baring gifts."

He held the door open as two young students stepped in.

The young girl had short blond hair that curled around her shoulders and she looked friendly. She smiled as she walked into Levy's office, brimming with excitement. Next to her was a young man who looked a little out of his element - he stood ramrod straight with a stoic look on his face.

They were both dressed in the robes from the Royal Scholar's Academy. Levy had tested out of the academy when she was young and never had to go to school, so she was a little envious. She loved research and learning, so there was definitely part of her that wished she had gone anyway.

"This is Moen and Jakan. They will be joining the Research Division today as interns. Both of them tested at the top of their classes."

Levy grinned, _she finally had help!_ "Welcome to the Magic Council Resarch Division. I'm Levy McGarden," she shook the hands of her new staff members.

"I'll leave you to it," Mest waved the students into her office. "Come find me later, Levy. There's a few things I would like to speak to you about."

"Of course."

There was a strange look on Mest's face, but she filed the information away later. There was definitely something serious he wanted to talk about.

"I'm so happy to get to work with you, Master McGarden!" Moen practically bounced, "Everyone at the academy wants to work with you. You're one of the most famous scholars of our time _and_ you were in Fairy Tail."

The "were" in the sentence made Levy's heart squeeze. She missed the Guild every second of every day. If Fairy Tail ever reformed, she would drop everything and join back up. Even now, the mark on her back shoulder seemed to comfort her when things were really bad.

"It is an honor," Jakan bowed to her slightly, "Please assign us any work that you deem fit."

Levy almost laughed, they were complete opposites. She took them around the library stacks - her own reference library was a fraction the size of the Magic Council library, but it held most of the older and more complex magic texts. Making their way to the rows of empty desks in the back, and she set them up with their own area and supplies.

"We receive and process reference requests from the Magic Council," Levy told them. "Requests are delivered every morning. The critical ones are kept separate and will usually have a due date for that day, the rest of them are done in order of date. Use whatever resources you need - research, libraries, your collegues, even the local residents in town. Our job is to find the answer."

Moen grinned, "Where should we get started?"

Levy chuckled and pointed towards the door. There were four rows of filing boxes, stacked five feet high.

Her two assistants gaped at her.

"Don't worry about the critical ones - I'll take care of that," Levy laughed, "Let me know if you see anything interesting though."

Jakan snorted at the papers as he ruffled through the box, "The correct recipe for a pork roast? What do we consider _interesting_?"

"I'm working on a personal project right now. Purple fireflies."

Moen dropped a stack of papers on her desk, "Purple fireflies?"

"I haven't been able to find the cause yet, but I think there is a source of magic in the city that is causing fireflies to glow purple."

"That's impossible," Jakan frowned, "Insects don't have enough mass to be endowed with magical properties."

"That's what I thought too, and that's what the texts all say, but it doesn't explain the reports. I'm trying to catch one of them so I can look into it a little more closely."

"Is it just the fireflies?"

Levy stopped for a moment and thought, then she turned to Jakan, "I don't know but...it would make sense that people would only notice the fireflies."

"The magic is causing a visiual reaction with the fireflies because of their natural and biological functions. Most likely there are other insects in the city that are experiencing the same thing, but without the same ability to glow-"

Levy pointed at him, "No one would notice," she stood up from her desk and limped slightly towards the bookshelf ladder. Dragging it back over to the section she had been in a few days ago, she carefully edged up the rungs, "That reminds me of something that I saw when I was here the other day."

"Pardon me from asking, Master McGarden, but are you injured?" Moen looked over at her.

"Call me Levy," she waved the title away, "Not at all. Just sore from extra training with one of the captains of the Magical Enforcers."

" _What?_ That's amazing! I heard that you were a master of the Solid Script, but I have never seen it in practice. No one really wants to learn it anymore because they say it's not as powerful as other magics."

Levy sighed, "It's not necessarily the strongest type out there, unless you master it the way it's supposed to be done. I've got another training session tonight - hopefully I'll be able to make so more progress."

" _That's so cool_. Us Scholar Academy students are a laughing stock. No one from the academy has ever been able to win the Year Festival Match. The enforcement custody divisions make fun of us all the time."

The Year Festival Match was a friendly, community-wide magic tournament where anyone could participate. It was supposed to be for fun during the festival week - similar to the Grande Magic Games without so much monsters, explosions, and well...situations where people might die. There wasn't a cash prize or anything quite so extravagant, it was more about bragging rights and plaque that people could hang on the wall. Usually someone from the Enforcers or the military divisions won, it had been years since anyone else had claimed it.

The winner of the matches also got to do an exhibition match against one of the captains in the enforcement units. Last year Mest had been the one to fight the winner, but Levy wondered if Gajeel would do it this time. The Magic Council was pretty smug about having a Dragon Slayer in their ranks - and his flashy way of fighting would definitely bring a big crowd.

The community didn't seem to really care who won as long as they got to see an interesting match - but at headquarters, Levy knew that her department was definitely at the bottom of the totem pole. Normally it didn't bother her because she worked hard and she took pride in her work, but it _did_ bother her that people seemed to be picking on her new staff. They had enough going on, they didn't need some muscle-bound morons giving them a hard time too.

Lowering herself back down the ladder, Levy smiled, "Well, I'm not going to claim to be a master, but I'll do my best. The guy training me is putting me threw the wringer, that's for sure."

"You have someone to train with-"

The question was cut off as the door swiftly opened. Moen yelped at the person standing in the doorway. Jakan seemed to freeze in place, his gaze pointed in the same direction.

Gajeel was glaring straight at her new assistants.

 _Oh boy_.

"Gajeel, these are students from the Royal Academy - they're going to be helping me out for a while," Levy motioned to the two terrified people in the corner. "Moen, Jakan, this is Gajeel Redfox. He's the head captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit."

"Sup."

There was an awkward silence.

Levy sighed, people who were not used to Gajeel were usually scared of him. It didn't help that he did his best to look as intimidating as possible. Even on a good day, his social skills were not great. "Excuse me, guys, I'm going to step out for a second. If something comes up, I'll try to come back as soon as I can."

She guided Gajeel out of her office and through the door that lead to the back gardens. Before she could berate him for scaring the holy hell out of her new staff, Gajeel nodded, "Good, I'm glad Mest was able to get you some help."

Levy tilted her head to the side, "What to you mean?"

He stopped for a moment, as if he realized he said something that he shouldn't have. She had known him long enough to know that he didn't usually blurt everything out that was on his mind, but sometimes when he was nervous he wasn't as careful. With all of his tough-guy exterior, she enjoyed the fact that when he was embarrassed the top of his ears turned red.

"Well, uh...don't be mad."

"Be mad about what?"

"Shit," he dragged his hands into his hair, "Lily and I took a little trip to the Administrative offices and gave 'em hell for leavin' you alone for so long. They knew they should'da hired someone a long time ago. They were just noodlin' around doin' shit all about it."

She gaped at him, "What did you do?"

"Nothin' too extreme. Threatened a coupl'a people."

"You threatened a couple of people."

"It wasn't a big deal."

" _Not a big deal_ ," she had a bad feeling but was trying really hard not to laugh, "What did you _do,_ Gajeel?"

He looked contrite for a second and mumbled something.

"Pardon?"

"I told 'em they better get you some help or I was goin' to kick their pencil-pushin' asses," Gajeel scowled, "Maybe a few other things...but that was the gist of it."

Even though they worked for the Magic Council, that didn't erase the fact that they were Fairy Tail and tended to cause havoc wherever they went. Levy could just picture Gajeel storming into the Administrative offices and making a huge scene about her not having a staff.

"But," she blinked at him, "Why would you do that?"

"Why?" Gajeel stared at her for a moment, "You're goin' to make me spell it out for ya?"

"Gajeel, I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"I remember everything. Everything from the fight with Tartaros."

"Everything? What do you mean-"

She stopped for a moment, and then she gasped as her face heated up. Levy knew exactly what he was talking about. Hers hands instantly covered her face and she wanted to to sink into the ground.

"Levy."

She was so embarressed, she felt like she was going to die right there. There had been so many things going on that they never talked about what happened during the fight with Tartaros. Frankly, Levy had been hoping that he would have either forgotten about it.

He had been drowning and she knew that she couldn't let that happen. Diving into the battle had been a stupid thing to do, even when she knew she was no match for them. She had given him all the air she had because he had to live. Levy wouldn't stand by while he was dying. "U-Um...It wasn't a big d-deal! I-Its all okay-"

Levy jumped as she felt his hands touch her wrists.

"Stop hidin', shrimp."

She let him pull her hands away from her face, "G-Gajeel-"

"There's somethin' goin' on here, Levy."

That was it. She knew her entire face was on fire.

"You look out for me, I look out for you," Gajeel told her, "We got eachother's back, you and I. That's the way it's gonna be."

She loved him so much in that moment, it was hard not to just throw herself at him. His mouth than quirked at her like it always did, "Diddn' think the first time I got to kiss ya, I'd be half dead."

Levy's fingers curled around his wrists.

"Don't be late for practice tonight, we got some sparring to do."

"Sparring?!" She gaped, "What makes you think that I can take you on and have a chance?"

He moved forward.

She froze completely still and fell silent.

He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, and she heard him take a deep breath, "Fuck, you smell good. Can't get over it."

She was still holding onto his wrists.

He nuzzled the side of her neck, his nose pressing into her hair, "Tonight, Lev. Eleven sharp."

"Eleven."

Gajeel stepped away from her, "Needed that. Later, shrimp."

She stood in the garden as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled to the door.

 _He needed it._

 _Oh my._

* * *

"Come in."

Levy let herself into Mest's office. He was known as Doranbolt in the Magic Council, but it was hard to switch after calling him Mest for so long. As much he he wanted to deny it, Mest would always be Fairy Tail.

Letting herself quietly into the office, she shut the door behind her and tapped her fingers on the wood. _Silent_ scripted over the door - it would stay there until she left. Although she wasn't confident about her physical abilities, there wasn't a soul in the entire building that could break her seals. If anyone tried to listen in, they wouldn't hear a thing.

It wasn't uncommon for Mest to invite her to his office to speak about private, non-Magic Council business. Sometimes it was about the status of their comrades, Zeref, or any manner of sensitive topics that their employers would probably be less than thrilled about.

"Levy. How are your new charges fairing?"

"I think they'll fit right in," she took a seat in front of his desk, "It's okay, Mest. I know the reason why you sent them was because Gajeel had a hissy fit."

"That man," Mest scowled, "I spend way too much time trying to convince the higher-ups that he's a valuable asset and not some feral beast."

"Oh, he's definitely both of those things," Levy chuckled, "So, what was it that you wanted to speak about?"

"A few things," he told her, setting a book on top of the desk, "This is the information I recently received from Erza and Gray."

Levy took the small book from him - her fingers brushed over it like it was made of spun glass. The _Lock_ runes spread from her fingers as her eyes glowed a bright yellow. Mest had told her once that her ability to simply absorb information was frightening. It made her valuable for espionage and the trade of secrets.

 _Avatar._

She filed the information away for another day. When she lifted her fingers away, the runes warped into _Burn_.

The book vanished before their eyes. She had the ability to remember every detail that she ever read - it would not be difficult to reproduce the information on command. While some wizards fought face to face, the underground was her battlefield. She was suited for secrets and whispers.

Mest told her once that she would be a bad enemy to have. He was not wrong.

"There's a man doing a lecture tomorrow," Mest scribbled some information on a critical task ticket. "I would really like you to attend personally."

"What kind of a lecture?"

"His name is Nolan Frier. He is one of the most well-known scholars of ancient research in our time - his speciality is ancient cultures and languages."

That peaked her attention, "I don't mind. I probably would have gone on my own, anyway. What makes you interested in him?"

"It's possible that he might have some information that we can use in our plans to fight Zeref. With his experiences, he may know something that we've never thought about. I would like you to go specifically because no one has the ability to ferret information out like you do."

"I would be happy to go. I'll let you know if I learn anything valuable."

"I knew I could count on you, Levy," Mest sat back in his chair, "I heard that you were doing some extra training with Gajeel."

"There's a new phase of the Solid Script I'm trying to learn. Gajeel offered to help me with my physical training."

Her co-worker's eyebrows shot high in the air.

"It's not what you're thinking!" Levy felt her cheeks heat up, "He's just helping me out."

"That implies that he's a nice guy. Gajeel is never nice," he grinned, "He just wants to help _you_."

"It's not like that-"

 _Fuck, you smell good_.

His voice still rang in her head, and she could feel his warm breath on her neck.

"Uh-huh. I hope you know what you're doing, Levy."

She did too.

* * *

"Your stance is sloppy. I could push you over if I breathed on you."

She shifted her back foot, straightened her back, and held her fists in front of her face. Like everyone who was in Fairy Tail, she had hand to hand combat training, but this was on a whole new level for her.

Levy held still as Gajeel walked around her, hands on his waist.

He was clearly in work mode.

"Okay, we're going to try this again," Gajeel flexed his hands, "All you have to do is hit me once."

They had spent the first few nights going over what she already knew and relearning some of the basics. He had been patient, but that didn't mean he wasn't strict.

Levy stepped towards him.

Gajeel stopped her first punch like it was nothing, raising his forearm to block the next. Lunging towards her, Levy backed off, sliding back on her back foot but keeping her fists in front of her face.

"Good. Keep your guard up."

A large hand came towards her, and she blocked it, following up with an upper cut. He blocked it with his other arm, stepping back once to brace himself as he grabbed her forearm and yanked her off her feet.

She yelped as he tossed her flat on her back.

"You've got too many openings. Stop trying to throw me and use your size to your advantage."

"You're twice as big as me! How is that to my advantage?"

"I never thought you were dumb, Lev," Gajeel cracked his knuckles, "But that's a dumb thing to say."

She scowled at him.

"What are you waiting for?" He held his arms out to her, "I know that you can fight. I've seen you do it."

"Not the kind of fighting you do-"

"That's bullshit!" he roared, "I've seen you face off enemies bigger than me! You're still here and they aren't."

"That's was different!"

"The only thing holdin' you back is your own fucked up head, Levy."

"That's not true!"

"Well, I'm not seein' it, shrimp," Gajeel turned away from her, "You wanna shoot yourself down and then look for sympathy, you can find someone else. I got better things to do than waste my time at a pitty shit party."

She pushed herself back, flexing her legs and flipping herself outright. Running towards him, he turned to block the first couple fists. She saw his body shift and the kick that was following his movements, and leaned back to plant both hands on the mat before flipping herself upright. Gajeel stepped towards her and she blocked his punch with her forearm, her other hand following through with the familiar signs, " _Solid Script: Sword!_ "

There was a smirk on his face as he dodged it, and she stared back at his face as the blast slammed into the wall. There was a slight rumble as a chunk of plaster from the wall hit the floor. She noticed that he had blocked with was now partially covered in iron-plated scales, "Not bad, shrimp. I knew you had it in you."

" _You baited me._ That's a cheap shot."

He chuckled, the scales sinking back and reverting to his tanned skin, "I said I would help you. Never said I'd be nice about it."

She sighed.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Gajeel stretched his arms. "I'm beat. Go get some sleep, shrimp."

She reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. He looked back at her, "What?"

Levy stared at the floor for a moment, and then she looked up at him, "Thanks for believing in me, Gajeel."

He grinned, "I trust you, Lev."

Her face heat up, "Gajeel-"

"Don't sell yourself short, shrimp. Ya got a lotta potential that yer wastin' on yer own fears," Gajeel turned around, he reached for her arm to rub it. Her skin was turning red from where she blocked him. He never actually hurt her, but he definitely hit hard. "When you gonna show me this new Solid Script that yer workin' on?"

She looked away, "I don't know. I haven't really shown anyone yet. It's always just been me training by myself."

"Well, yer not by yourself now. How 'about tomorrow? After work, meet me and Lily at the front gates. We'll stop by the house and then go train in the woods. No one'll bother us there."

"It's not perfect yet, I still make a lot of mistakes."

"That's fine."

"B-But-"

His hand touched the side of her face and she looked up at him.

"Don' hold yourself back, shrimp."

She bit her lip and then looked up at his ruby eyes. Did she have the courage to show him when she would probably mess up? Sucking in a breath, she nodded, "Okay, Gajeel. I'll do it."

He grinned, "See ya, Shrimp. Go get some shut eye."

She walked him walk out of the training center, her gaze moving over to the section of the room that was protect by magical wards. Now that everyone was gone, she could practice without anyone knowing. If she was going to show Gajeel tomorrow what she could do - it wouldn't be a bad idea to go over the new seals before leaving for the day. Besides, she could always take a nap on her lunch break like she was used to do doing anyway.

Stepping into the wards, Levy stood in the center of the room, eyeing the target on the other side of the wall. People usually came here for target practice since it was a safe zone.

She would be using those targets for a different purpose.

 _Solid Script, Secret Art..._


End file.
